I have a little confession to make: I'm terrible at rest.
I'll be the first to tell you how important it is to take care of yourself. About how you need some time away, time to relax, time to recharge. And I don't do it myself... at least, not very well.
I've been on vacation since Christmas Eve. I know it's cliche - the pastor taking the week off after Christmas. Originally, I wasn't going to do it. I was going to keep plodding along. Go, go, go. In spite of the fact that I haven't had a Sunday off since we moved to Vincennes at the end of June. But I did. And I realized just how much I needed it.
Don't get me wrong. I take my days off. I'm pretty intentional about keeping those days clear, apart from the rare emergency. But an extended period? No. In fact, this is the first real vacation I've taken all year. Yes, I took most of January off after our son was born. Of course, half of that time was spent in the hospital or adjusting to life with a newborn and a 1-year old at the time. It wasn't a vacation. Yes, I took a couple of weeks off at the end of June - while we were packing the house and preparing for a major life-change... with two small children. It wasn't a vacation. In fact, I don't remember the last actual vacation I took. That's bad.
In the Creation story at the beginning of the Book of Genesis, we are told that on the seventh day, God rested, the first Sabbath. In the Ten Commandments, we are told that we need to observe the Sabbath and keep it holy. Somehow, we've taken this to mean that we shouldn't work or do any lawn care on Sunday. It's amazing how we can twist and turn God's directions for our lives and make them ridiculous and trivial.
Rest is holy work. I realize that now. We didn't do anything special this week. We didn't go anywhere out of the ordinary - Indy for Christmas, Evansville and Princeton for some shopping, nothing too exciting... besides Dewig Meats, that was awesome. But here's what I do know. When I get back to the office next week, I'm going to feel refreshed. I'm going to start the year with a renewed fire - which is good because I have a short week with the holiday and a two-day conference beginning Thursday.
As disciples of Jesus Christ, one of the important things that we need to learn is the importance of rest. Again, rest is holy work. Let me say it again: rest is holy work.
